The Little Underlander
by LMHouseMouse
Summary: Princess Ariel, the only heir to the Regalian throne, has always dreamed of adventure beyond the palace walls, especially in the Overland. She grew up being told stories of the legendary Overland Warrior, and became fascinated with it. Whenever she tries to ask questions, however, everyone around her seem to be hiding something, so she decides to find out for herself.
1. Chapter 1

Well, hello loves! I just wanted to say that this fic does not coincide with Gregor the Overlander Returns at all! It is an entirely different story. I actually read this idea on tumblr (There is a small Underland Chronicles fandom) and thought it would be really fun to write, so I will be doing this story before a sequel to my other story. So, it is meant to be LOOSELY inspired by The Little Mermaid i.e. Princess Ariel wants desperately to go "up there" but it is dangerous yadda yadda. It will NOT be (too) cheesy, or Disney-ey though, I promise! I am going to try to add Ariel's wonderment and curiosity without watering the Underland down. There will still be battles, bad assery, ect, probably even more war-type stuff than my first story. Anyway, that was long, but all that to say, yes it is loosely based on a children's movie, but it's like 90% The Underland Chronicles and 10% The Little Mermaid. I hope you like it, tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

"...and this is a basic five-point formation." Ripred said as he gestured at the diagram. Ariel, with her head propped up on her fist blew her hair out of her face, and struggled to pretend that she was interested. The great gray gnawer had drawn up a hundred diagrams on scrolls, just like the one laid across the table in front of Ariel scroll was coveted in markings and lines, the formation shown and the movements detailed. The Regalian army drawn in O's, the advisories marked by X's. After every lesson with Ripred, Ariel was sure that she had learned every battle formation possible, but with every new lesson she was proved wrong. Sometimes, she was sure that Ripred must be repeating himself, not that she would realize, for she never paid any attention. It wasn't that Ariel wasn't interested in battle, quite the contrary, it was practically in her blood to be a warrior. It was that she had no patience for learning about it in a classroom, especially not alone, as she always was in her lessons. Ariel's mind wandered, grasping for something that she could distract the old gnawer with, for if she tried hard enough, she was sure to get him to veer off track. Finally, she decided on a distraction, and interjected into Ripred's tirade."Tell me again about the warrior. Please?" Ripred gave her a look that said he was wise to her plan, but she did not back down. The gnawer looked around the great cement room as if he had not heard her, and had found something very interesting across the room, even though there was nothing to be interested in. There was no decoration in the room, nor any furniture, save the large marble table with two chairs that the pair was sitting at. Anything else proved to be a distraction to Ariel during her lessons, so they were removed from the school room. Ariel caught the rat's eye, and stared him down for a moment. The gnawer hardened his expression as his beady, black eyes met Ariel's large lavender ones. For a moment, he seemed to hold fast, so Ariel ever so slightly pushed her bottom lip out from her mouth

Ripred sighed, and gave Ariel a sour face that was completely fake. "Child, you are too old to be begging for stories like this." He said, putting a paw on his temple as if Ariel had caused him a headache, but she laughed because she knew she had won. Ever since she could remember, Ripred had loved to tell her stories. He had told her the first few of his own accord, but realized soon that perhaps he shouldn't have. Ariel so enjoyed his stories, and asked to hear one whenever she saw him. These instances became incredibly frequent when Ripred became Ariel's battle tutor, though he loved telling Ariel stories as much as she loved hearing them, so he relented and always gave one up. When Ripred first told Ariel of the Overland warrior, she was fascinated, and it instantly became her favorite. Now, being sixteen, she must've heard the story a thousand times, but she still loved it. At first, when Ariel heard the story, it was so grand and exciting a tale that she wasn't even sure that it was real. Of course she knew that there had been an Overlander that had dropped into Regalia before she was born, and that he fulfilled some of the prophecies that Sandwich had written, but when she first heard of the quests, and the war, young Ariel thought for sure that it had to be false. As Ariel grew, and she was taught history lessons, and talked to other Regalians, she learned that not only were the stories true, but for all of the detail that Ripred put into the warrior's story, he may be leaving things out even still. Ariel, who had an insatiable curiosity wanted to know every detail of each story she heard, and knowing that the Warrior's story was true, and relatively recent, she had to know everything. Her strategy for analyzing the story was simply to have Ripred tell it to her every chance she had. He often left things out that he had told her before, or added new things that didn't always add up. It was obvious that there were some crucial pieces to the story being hidden from her, but whenever Ariel attempted to confront Ripred about it, he insisted that the story was the same as it always had been, the way he told her."

"You have heard the story so many times now, you could tell it to me better than I to you." Ripred said, stalling.

"Well, considering the inconsistency in your storytelling, I say that is false. I would not know which version to tell you, because I do not know which is right." Ariel replied with a smirk. Ripred sighed again, rolling his eyes.

"Why do you enjoy this specific story so much?"

"It is part of my people's history, their recent history in fact. Besides, the Overland and its people, especially the warrior, sound absolutely terrific." Ariel answered dreamily, gazing up as if through all the stone of the ceiling and the Earth between the Under and Over lands she could see the handsome, brave warrior.

"Well, believe me, he was not so terrific in person. Just ask your mother."

"You know she will not speak to me of such things." Ariel replied, being brought back down to the Underland with a disappointed breath. Her mother did not speak about the Overland, and she absolutely did __not__ speak about the warrior. It was known that Ariel's mother had fought alongside the Overlander in the war, and she had been with him on the amazing, daring, and dangerous quests. In fact, they had probably known each other quite well, but every time Ariel asked about the quests, or the war, or especially the warrior, her mother changed the subject.

"I am sure she has her reasons. Now, I am famished. I am going to see if I can find myself some dinner. Would you care to join me?"

Ariel was slightly disappointed that she couldn't get the story out of Ripred at the moment, but she figured that she would hear it again soon enough. She stood, and hugged the gnawer. "Thank you, but I must wait here for my last lesson of the day. I will see you later." Ariel turned and left the plain, stone gray room so that she may have a walk and entertain herself until her Uncle Hazard met her for her last lesson. Ariel entered the hallway that seemed downright cluttered in comparison to the classroom. The halls of the castle, like most room inside it, were covered in tapestries and beautiful art. The tapestries were woven by spinners, and some were as old as the Underland itself. They did not depict scenes, as Ariel had read the Overland's often did, but they were made up of the most intricate patterns Ariel had ever seen, much like the spinner's webs. The art along the walls was almost exclusively cravings, and those were scenes of great battles, of creatures and humans, of myth and of recent history. There was even a carving of the warrior defeating the Bane, though Ariel's mother refused to admit that it was in fact of the Overlander. As Ariel took her time strolling down the hallway, she trailed her hand along the cold stone wall, and lost herself in thought. She wondered about the Overland a little bit longer, and then lamented silently about having one more lesson in the day. Even though he only made the lessons a tiny bit less boring, Ariel was thankful that her last lesson of the day was with her uncle Hazard, rather than with her tutor, Sander, the only other person who taught her. Hazard taught her the languages of the creatures in the Underland, which Ariel knew would be useful, and had already proven to be so, but it was still so very difficult to sit through the lessons rather than practicing with the creatures she was learning to speak to. Ariel continued to wander and think, until she realized that she was about to venture into a restricted piece of the palace. Ariel itched to explore, but she knew she must already be late for her lesson, so she hurried back to the classroom, and promised herself she would return later. Ariel returned to the room frazzled, and apologized for being late. Her uncle gave her a warm smile, and a wink that said he wouldn't tell. Ariel nodded, and then sat down to start.

Ariel tried to show her thankfulness to her uncle by making sure that she stayed extra engaged in his lesson. Hazard announced that they would be reviewing crawler that day quite happily, and Ariel tried to match his enthusiasm. She clicked and chatted away with her uncle two hours that seemed to last a life time. Finally, with a quiet sigh of relief from Ariel, they were summoned for dinner. Every night, the royal family all dined together in the great hall. Ariel enjoyed these dinners as much as any teenager could possibly enjoy nightly dinner with her entire family. She loved them all, but sometimes she wished that she had just a little time to herself. As it was, Ariel's entire day was scheduled, from her meals, to her lessons, even to her leisure activities. Ariel walked alongside her uncle into the dining hall, breathing in the fresh air that flooded the huge room as she entered. Her mother was there already, seated regally at the head of the massive stone table, and speaking to her bond, Aurora. As she did every time she entered the great hall, Ariel immediately looked up and around the massive opening in the top of the room for her own bond. Ariel often felt as though she had been to bonded to Grear at birth. She had been raised alongside him, as their mothers were bonds, and they had always been inseparable. When it finally came time for them to officially bond, it felt like an unnecessary formally, Grear was like Ariel's right arm. She spotted him almost immediately, for he was quite hard to over look. Her flier was massive and black, with brilliant gold flecks all over his body. Grear was both beautiful and fierce, and though he often looked imposing, he had the kindest heart that Ariel had ever known. Grear had spotted her as well, it was almost like they could sense each other's presence. He flew down to her in a dramatic arch, and landed gently beside her.

"Greetings, Ariel. It has been so long." Ariel laughed, it had only been a few hours, but though Grear was joking. the hours away from him often felt like weeks. Ariel had begged her mother to allow Grear to accompany Ariel into her lessons, but she refused, insisting that Grear would only distract Ariel, and that he had his own studied to attend to. As Ariel and Grear made their way over to the table, Ariel spotted Nike, and went over to greet her as well.

"Greetings, princess." Nike said to her with a flier bow.

"Greetings, princess." Ariel said, returning the gesture. Ever since Ariel could remember, that was always how Nike greeted her. When Ariel was small, the exchange made her giggle, because she thought it was so silly, and now it had just become a friendly habit, but it seemed as though it made Nike a little bit sad every time. Ariel's Uncle Howard and his partner Mareth entered next, with their children in tow. Ariel adored her cousins with all her might, they were just about the only people around her age that Ariel was ever allowed to spend time with. Laurel, Ariel's eldest cousin was 18, Hazel, the middle child was 12, and Aspen was 3. Aspen immediately toddled over to Ariel; she was his favorite person in the world. Ariel dramatically lifted him up, her arms fully extended, and spun him around. Then, she gave him a great big kiss on the check, and tickled his belly.

"Hello there sweet boy, how fair you today?" Ariel asked him.

"Hungry!" He exclaimed, which cracked everyone up. Aspen was by far the youngest child in the court, so he was doted upon gloriously, which he loved, and his cute little jokes were always met with much laughter. The royal family settled into dinner, the adults chatting amongst themselves, and the children doing the same. Ariel's mother and her uncles were heatedly, and quietly discussing something about the jungles deep in the Underland, and far away from Regalia.

"You have been there, haven you not, mother?" Ariel asked.

"Yes, many years ago, Howard went as well. That is where we found Hazard." the Queen said, trying to politely wave Ariel off so that she could continue her adult conversation. Ariel was not so easily deterred. She knew that there had been a quest to the jungle when the warrior was in the Underland, and Ariel saw a lovely opportunity to cultivate some information.

"To find a cure to the Curse of the Warmbloods, yes I remember the story. You went with the Overland warrior, did you not?" Queen Luxa immediately tensed, and everyone at the table stopped eating to look between Ariel and her mother. Luca sighed, trying to quickly move on to another subject.

"Ariel, you know that I did. Why do you insist upon questioning me about the warrior?"

"He is part of our history, Mother. How am I supposed to properly learn our legacy if I am not given all of the information?" The queen gave Ariel a look that said she was in big trouble for being so sharp tongued with her, but it did not phase her.

"Ariel, you are given ample information, and you should be more than educated about our history."

"Mother, why does this anger you so? I simply want to learn about the warrior. And about the Overland." Ariel maintained a wide eyed look, and an innocent, questioning voice, as if she had no idea why her mother would be so upset about her inquiries .Lua stood so quickly that Ariel jumped.

"You will learn nothing of the Overland. All you must know is that it is a dangerous place, perhaps even more so than our uncharted lands, and there is a reason that we do not interact with the Overlanders." Luca raised her voice at Ariel, in front of everyone. Ariel felt her face burn hot and red, and she felt tears sting her eyes. Ariel was very surprised, she had not expected her mother to become so upset so quickly, and she was humiliated that her family had watched her be berated. Ariel stood, and walked quickly from the Great Hall. Great followed closely behind Ariel, and when they were in the hallway, Ariel climbed onto him so that they could quickly get out of the palace. Whenever Ariel was upset, there was only one place she wanted to go. She wasn't supposed to know that it existed, but Ripred had accidentally mentioned it once, and Ariel had almost immediately gone looking for it. Grear flew through the tunnels on the way to their spot quickly, and soon Ariel was racing up the stairs, and pushing aside the boulder. She did so slowly, and then checked to make sure there was no one around. She then stuck just her head through the passageway, to look at the Overland.


	3. Chapter 3

Ariel breathed deeply, letting the air wash over her and fill her lungs, clearing her head. The air in the Overland was so very different than anything she had ever experienced. Everything in the Overland felt free and open, and the air always carried a thousand smells with it, as if it had traveled a million miles and back again to the very spot where Ariel was breathing it. The Underland never felt that way. There was no wind to ruffle your hair; it was always cool, still, and unmoving. No matter where a person was in the Underland, the ceiling was always in sight; there was no freedom. Looking up, in the Underland, all there ever was to see was stone. In the Overland, there was no limit, it was all vast an open, and free. Ariel wanted more than anything to feel free, and since discovering the passageway to the wide open sky, the Underland felt more constricting and suffocating every time she had to return. As Ariel calmed herself, she felt the breeze on her face, she heard trees rustling, and leaves blowing across the ground. The sky was dark, and the wind was downright chilly, but she didn't care. The wind felt so nice on her face, she didn't care if she froze. Ariel opened her eyes slowly, taking in all that was around her, marveling. She had never seen a tree before she discovered the passageway to the Overland, but they had quickly become her favorite things. Each on was so unique and grand, they amazed her. Ariel imagined herself walking all the way up the steps and touching the trees, and the leaves, breathing only that wonderful air forever, never feeling suffocated again. She thought about the sun on her face, its light caressing her, making her warm in a way that she had never been before. Ariel longed to see the sun more than anything in the world, but she knew that would probably burn her fragile skin almost immediately. She also knew that during the day, there would be Overlanders all around her special place, and there was no way of knowing what would happen if one of them saw her.

Though the Overlanders knew nothing of the Underland, and it could be very dangerous if they did, Ariel spent every spare moment learning about those that lived above her in the open air. She loved looking around the tunnels for things that had been dropped, and learning about another piece of Overland life. Once, Ariel had found a fork, and Ripred had tried to convince her it was a hairbrush. Ariel chuckled at the memory; There was something about the Overland that never failed to make her happy, it felt like where she was supposed to be. Ariel loved her family, and she would miss them terribly if she left, but Regalia held so many pressures, and rules that Ariel did not feel equipped to handle. She was next in line for the throne, in fact she was already of ruling age; Ariel was definitely not ready to rule Regalia, and she wasn't sure she ever would be. When Ariel's mother was her age, she was the sole ruler of Regalia, and she had been assisted as queen for five years. Ariel was still just Regalia's princess, still being taught all she needed to know about being queen; Her lack of a complete education made her feel as though she had already failed at being a future queen. Also, her mother had a decorated soldier by that age, a fierce military strategist, and an incredible leader to the Regalian army. Ariel enjoyed combat training, especially with Grear, and she excelled in many areas of it, but her mother insisted that she not focus on that training, and she Ariel had never so much as seen a battle. The queen insisted that Ariel be a diplomat, so that when she ruled, she would not have to be a soldier, which was why Ariel spent 12 hours a day sitting through lectures of every kind, with no action or experience. Ariel felt her blood start to boil again thinking of all of it, so she cleared her head to remain calm.

Ariel took in a few large lungfuls of Overland air, and then turned to Grear, nodding to him and remounting; ready to head back to the palace. When they arrived at the palace, the swooped silently into the great hall, and Ariel immediately set about creeping back to her room. Down one elaborately decorated hallway, and up one plain, back staircase, and Ariel managed to slip quietly through her route without being noticed. As she entered her room, she breathed a sigh of relief. As she sat with a huff on her bed, she looked around the room that she had had all her life. There were spinner woven swaths of cloth draped from the ceiling and all around the room, concealing as much stone as possible, and reflecting the light of the torches, giving the room a warm glow. There was a tapestry at the head of Ariel's bed, and carvings all along the walls, just as every other room in the palace had, but Ariel tried to cover or ignore them as much as possible. She hated nothing more than being like everyone else. Ariel longed to decorate her room with all of the wonderful odds and ends she had collected from the tunnels around her passageway, but she kept them hidden instead, knowing that she would be in monumental trouble if her mother knew she had so many artifacts. Ariel had only been in her room for about 10 minutes when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in!" She called. Her mother swept gracefully into the room, her sleeves bellowing, and her long dress trailing behind her. The queen was truly beautiful, almost ethereal, and it drove Ariel crazy. She loved her mother, truly, but Ariel wished sometimes that she did not have such a shadow to grow into. Her mother was beautiful, intelligent, talented, personable, and beloved deeply by her people. Ariel feared that among all of the other reasons she may be a horrible queen, she would simply never be good enough to take her mother's place. The queen quietly sat on the bed with perfect posture, and turned her eyes on her daughter. She did not look angry, or upset, but she wore the vague sadness on her face that she always did, but it was a little more present in that moment. She waited a tense moment before speaking.

"Ariel, I apologize for speaking so harshly at dinner. I was wrong to raise my voice at you, especially in front of all those that were present. However, we have spoken about the Overland many times, and I feel that I have made it clear that you do not need additional information about it. Over and Under landers are toxic to each other. The Overlanders that fall here are in danger because of the many species that we co-exist with, as well as the effects our environment can have on them, and if an Underlander were to go to the surface, their environment would be dangerous for us as well. We are not meant to interact, Ariel, and I fear the more I inform you of the land above us, the more you will wish to go for yourself."

"Mother, we have not spoken about it. I have asked questions and you have ignored me, or shouted at me for it. We came from them, Mother, just a few hundred years ago, there were no Under or Overlandanders, we were all just people. And the warrior that you refuse to speak about, and his family saved us. If it weren't for him, our land could be in total disarray now, or Regalia could have been completely annihilated. The warrior was a champion for our people, and I believe the we speak about and honor him. Besides, he was here for a long time without harm from our environment."

"I wish that I had not allowed Ripred to tell you these stories." Luxa said, massaging her temples. "The warrior may not have sustained any damage from our environment, but we surely would from his. More so, the Overlanders are not like us. We may be warriors, but they are truly ruthless. Not only with their enemies, but also with those they claim to love." Ariel was taken aback for a moment; her mother had never acknowledged the warrior before, let alone offered so much information at once.

"Mother, how do you know that?"

"Never mind that, Ariel. What matters is that I am trying to protect you. When I was your age, my mother and father were long gone, and I had no one to protect me. I was alone and full of fear that I disguised as fire. Just about every decision I made was rash and dangerous to me and those around me, and I will not let you become that way. Your father may be gone, but I am here to protect you, and that is what I will do." Ariel wanted to argue, to tell her mother that she didn't need protection any longer, or beg her to tell her more about the Overland, but she knew it was no use. The queen's word was final, always. Ariel simply nodded, and her mother reached out, and gently stroked her hair. While Luxa always wore her hair up, complicatedly twisted and braided and pinned, Ariel always wore hers down and flowing, and Luxa loved to play with it. The queen rested her hand on Ariel's check for a moment. "I love you, Ariel." She said. Ariel smiled just a little, and placed her hand over her mother's.

"I love you too, mother." Ariel instantly felt terribly guilty. She understood her mother's concern, but she had no intentions of abandoning her investigation. Her mother left the room, shutting the door quietly. As soon as the door was closed, Ariel leapt to it quietly, pushed the great stone door open just a crack, and listened. Ariel knew that her mother loved and cared about her, but the queen most certainly didn't understand Ariel. She felt as though she was meant to discover the Overland, to explore and do things no Underlander ever had, and she would never do that sitting in her room and going to her lessons. When Ariel heard silence outside of her door, she swept silently out into the hall, and tiptoed quickly and quietly away. Ariel wanted to go back to her place, to see the sky and trees, to feel the wind on her face, but it would be difficult to find Grear without alerting a guard, or someone that she was trying to leave the palace. She decided, instead, to explore the forbidden wing of the palace, the place she had almost ventured into earlier that day. It didn't have anything to do with the Overland as far as she knew, but she had never been allowed anywhere near it, making it of great interest to Ariel. She wanted desperately to find some answers about the Overland and all of its mystery, but she supposed she would just have to settle for a palace mystery. Besides, if she was caught, her mother would probably just be glad she was not looking for information about the Overland at the moment.

Ariel slipped expertly through the halls, quiet as a nibbler, detected by no one. As Ariel neared the forbidden wing, she realized that there was no light down the hall, so she she grabbed a lit torch from the wall, holding it out in front of her to light her way. The corridor looked as though no one had been through it in many years, and as far as Ariel knew, no one had. Ever since she could remember, this portion of the palace had been restricted to everyone. These walls were uncarved, as well as unadorned, the entire hallway reminded her of her classroom. About twenty feet from the last lit wall torch, Ariel happened upon a room. She peered inside, easing only her head into the doorway, nervous of what could be in the room. This room, unlike the hallway, had plethora of carvings all over the walls, all of animals. It also had a great stone turtle in the corner. There seemed to be nothing else in the room, so Ariel crept inside to get a better look. Ariel guessed that at one time the room could've been a nursery, usually animals were used in art to amuse children, but the room was most certainly more terrifying than any nursery should be. In the corner directly next to the doorway, there was a curtain that Ariel had not been able to see before entering the room. She was immediately curious, and marched over to pull it back. The curtain was massive, dark, and heavy. It was most certainly contained to hide something, and Ariel could hardly contain herself. As the curtain slid back against the wall, a giant sculpture of a man was unveiled, which was most certainly not something that Ariel was expecting. The art in the palace was almost exclusively made by other species existing in the Underland, Ariel hardly ever saw art made by humans, much less of them. As soon as she laid eyes on him, Ariel could not look away, he was beautiful. The statue was tall, at least nine feet, and it depicted broad shoulders and a strong jaw, though the subject couldn't have been much older than Ariel herself. The man held a magnificent jeweled sword at his side, and some sort of pack was strapped to his back. Ariel gazed at the stone face for a moment, completely enthralled, but when she eventually tore her gaze away, she realized that there was a small plaque at the base of the statue. It gave no artist, not dates, and no events, it simply read "The Warrior". Ariel was only one warrior that needed so little explanation. It was the Overland warrior! Ariel couldn't believe her luck. She started to make a slow circle around the sculpture, surveying the specimen. As Ariel made her way around to the back of the statue, hoping to understand the strange pack , she stumbled over a something. She was able to catch her self before she fell, but she dropped to her knees of her own accord anyway. Ariel knelt in front of the strange thing, and then picked it up. I was a box of some sort, made of wood. Ariel had never seen something so simply and elegantly beautiful. As she turned in over in her hands, she noticed a latch on the side, and threw the thing open right away.

Inside were several things that Ariel did not understand at all. First, a cylinder of some sort, made of thin mettle. It looked as though it had been through a lot. There was a small opening on the top of it, and it read "root beer" on the side. There was also a tiara, though it was not made out of jewels or precious metal. It felt fragile, and foreign, and had pink fuzz attached to it. It was the strangest thing Ariel had ever encountered. Next, there was a piece of cloth, and written on it was a message in code. Ariel wasted desperately to know what the note said, but she could not translate it without a Tree of Transmission to look at. Lastly, lying at the bottom of the box was a small glossy square with a picture on it. It was like the tiniest painting in the world, but it looked fantastically realistic. The scene was set in what looked like the stadium during a party. There was a magnificent display of party decorations, and the place was filled with people. The focus of the picture, though, was two people, dancing in the middle of the field. There was a young boy, and a young girl. The boy was lifting the girl up into the air, in the middle of a choreographed dance. There were hardly any other people dancing around them, but they didn't care. There could've been a hundred couples surrounding them, it was obvious, even from the strange, small painting, that they only cared about one another. The boy had skin much darker than the girls, a light brown, and his hair was very dark as well. He was the most darkly colored person Ariel had ever seen, and Ariel could only guess he was an Overlander. The girl he was lifting, though, was undoubtedly an Underlander. The portrait square showed the couple's profile, as the gazed gleefully at one another. The boy's face was exactly that of the warrior that stood right next to Ariel. The statue was most certainly mean to be the boy, but a few years older. The girl was only slightly less intriguing. Ariel's attention was first drawn by the girl's face. It looked exactly like Ariel. Next, the dress that the girl was wearing. It was one that Ariel had owned, when she was younger, about 12. Every feature of Ariel's face, as well as the dress had been handed down to her, metaphorically and literally, by her mother.


	4. Chapter 4

Ariel's mother and the warrior had gone on several quests together, and fought in the war together, that was common knowledge, and the prophecies spoke about it. The way that they were dancing in the portrait square, however, and the way that he looked at her... that entailed a relationship much deeper than fellow soldiers. Why hadn't Ariel's mother told her that she had been in love with the warrior? The box contained various other seemingly completely unrelated things: a dried leaf that seemed to be from a tree (Ariel inspected it for about 10 minutes, it was the only such leaf she'd ever seen), a cylinder made of thin metal that said "root beer" on the side (how very strange), a note written in the code from the tree of transmission, and a tiara made of some strange silver material with pink jewels. It didn't look anything like a tiara Ariel had ever seen, or owned. All of these things were extremely odd, but it was obvious that everything in this chest was connected to the warrior. Ariel sat on the floor for a minute, dumbfounded. This was just about the last thing she had expected to find. Her mother had always insisted she had never been in love. She had never courted anyone before Ariel's father, Octavious, and even then, their relationship had been arranged. Her mother and father had been fond of each other, they were great friends, but they had not been in love. As Ariel puzzled over everything, she remembered what her mother had said earlier about Underlanders, that they hurt those they claim to love. If Ariel had to venture a guess, it would be that the Overlander had hurt her mother in some way. Suddenly Ariel felt guilty all over again. Talking about the warrior probably upset her mother quite a bit. But it had been so many years hadn't it? Ariel mulled all of this over for a little longer, and then she crept back to her room. There seemed to be guards everywhere, whispering to each other, discussing something urgent. Were they looking for her? Eventually, Ariel made it back to her room without being found out , and she was free to ponder alone. All of Ariel's life, she had a schedule, a routine to follow. She had the same lessons every day at the same time, the same ceremonies at the same times of year, the same future set out for her The Overland had always represented something wild, exciting, and spontaneous to her, and she craved it. Now, with the discovery of the warrior's things, Ariel knew that he just had to find out what had happened between the Overlander and her mother.

Ariel did not sleep well that night, she was too busy contemplating her discoveries, so she was in an unpleasant mood when she dragged herself to her first lesson of the day with Sander. When she arrived, she immediately began hearing about her disappearance and how worried her mother had been, and that Sander would be keeping a close watch on her.

"That is most lovely." She thought to herself, rolling her eyes. As Sander droned on, Ariel desperately tired to keep herself awake. Sander was becoming quite old, and he often did not finish his sentences without realizing it, so even if Ariel had been paying attention, the information to be gained was minimal. Ariel was staring at his ancient, furrowed brow when she heard the alarm. It was the alarm for battle, and Ariel was immediately concerned. Who could've been attacking? She had heard no deviances from treaties. The humans were at peace with any species that could've been a threat to them, including the cutters. Ariel raced to change into battle gear, and then to the high hall. This would be Ariel's first battle, but she had run drills many times. She felt hyper focused, and ready. Grear was not in the hall when Ariel got there, so she became very worried. She was frantically searching around for him when she heard her Uncle Mareth shouting orders, directing the troops. Ariel turned to him, waiting for her orders.

"Ariel, your mother had ordered you not to fight today. You will retire to your chambers. " Ariel's mouth hung open. Her mother was unbelievable!

"I will do no such thing, uncle! I will battle alongside our people." Just as her uncle was about to protest, or worse, call someone to contain her, Grear swept in. She jumped onto him as he was still airborne, and they headed straight out to the gates. When they arrived, they joined the ranks and took in the scene. About 30 gnawers were charging the gates. That was most concerning, as the gnawers and humans had not fought in a decade. There was no time to ponder what was happening, though. Though there weren't many gnawers, they were obviously viscous, creating a whirlwind of teeth and claws. Ariel and Grear headed in to the battle in formation, and then let the chaos take them. A grey gnawer with black spots jumped at them, aiming for Grear. They flew around it a few times, making sure that it was quite agitated, and then they made their move. Ariel clenched her legs around her bond, and he flipped upside down, giving her a clear shot at the gnawer. She got it in the throat as it was jumping at her, and Grear immediately righted himself. They swooped down on another one that was larger, and completely gray. Grear was circling the animal when Ariel heard her name called. Ariel immediately looked for the source of the call, concerned that someone close by was in need of help. The instant that Ariel looked away, the massive gnawer that she has been battling leaped at high as it possibly could. It's paw connected with the side of Ariel's head, and she immediately blacked out.

Ariel woke with a start, jumping out of the bed, which she immediately regretted. Her head throbbed, and she had sharp, searing pain in her ribcage. It took her a moment to realize that she was in the hospital. Apparently she had caused a commotion, because her Uncle Howard almost immediately came in to see her.

"Well, it is good to see you awake, young warrior." He said with a smirk, as she was easing gingerly, wincing, back into the bed.

"What has happened?"

"Well, you went out to battle, against your mother's wishes, as you know. Then, you took quite a hit to your head. You were knocked off of Grear. He obviously caught you, but due to you're unconsciousness, the force of the landing seems to have fractured a rib or two."

"Is there still fighting?" Ariel wanted to get out there as soon as possible if it was still going on.

"No, the few gnawers were quickly defeated."

"Why did they attack us? We have a treaty."

"It would seem that these rats are part of a small sect, separate from the rest of the gnawers. They have been organizing in the jungles, planning an attack." Ariel started to ask more questions, but Howard held up a hand to quiet her. "I must notify your mother that you are awake, and I suggest that you rest before she comes to see you." He gave her a meaningful look, and walked out of the room. So that meant that her mother was upset. Ariel immediately dreaded seeing her mother. Ariel settled in, and tried to clear her mind while she waited. She found herself thinking about the warrior, then, and everything that Ariel had found. She was so lost in thought that she almost didn't notice her mother sweeping into the room. Almost.

"What could you possibly have been thinking? I have your direct orders _not_ to participate in the battle, yet you do exactly the opposite. It was well handled, and you did not need to be there. Furthermore, you have now been hurt, and you will fall behind on lessons because of your recovery. What do you have to say for yourself this time?" The queen was positively livid.

"I am 16 years old, and that was my first battle! I have no experience! Besides that, I am no better than any other soldier my age. I am a princess, yes, but that does not mean that I should always be treated differently than everyone else."

"You should, in fact, be treated differently than everyone else, because you are the only heir to the throne!" Ariel's mother was shouting now.

"Well, perhaps I don't _want_ to be the heir to the throne! Perhaps I would like to be free to fight with the rest of my peers, and make all of my decisions for myself." Luxa looked like she had been slapped in the face.

"If you do not want to be our heir, then fine. I cannot force you to do anything, as you are of age. If you do not wish to be a princess, then you may leave." With that, she turned and left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Ariel's face burned. She stared ahead for a few moments, processing what her mother had said. She was so furious, she couldn't think straight. Her mother just wanted her to leave? Ariel hadn't expected that, even for a second. She got up to pace around for a moment, mind racing. After just a few seconds, she felt that she just could not stay any longer. She supposedly had her mother's permission (Ariel knew that her mother hadn't meant it), so she would leave. Ariel hurried to her room, grabbed a bag, and stuffed a few articles of lightweight clothing into her bag. She grabbed a few weapons as well, arming herself properly. She wasn't sure what she would encounter in the Overland, but she would be prepared for it. She then left her room, and went quietly toward the high hall. She could only hope that her mother would not see her on the way, and that perhaps she would run into Grear. If not, she would have to take the platform down and walk to the gateway. Luckily, as soon as she entered the high hall, Grear was there, flying toward her. Unluckily, so was her mother. Ariel quickly jumped on Grear's back and told him to go. Soon, they were out of the hall, going as fast as they could and hoping that the queen would not follow them.

"I am going up there this time Grear." Ariel said to her bond as they flew.

"I know." He said it gravely, as if he had known what she would do, but he hoped that she wouldn't. "What will you be looking for?" He knew that he couldn't convince her otherwise; he could only hope that she would be careful.

"I do not know. I just feel that I cannot stay here right now. There is something up there for me, I know it." Grear seemed to understand, in the way that only he understood her. When they arrived at the entrance, Ariel stepped down from the flier slowly. She was not sure when she would be back, so she wanted to give her bond a proper goodbye. As Ariel was hugging Grear's neck, he jerked his head up, and he turned toward the other end of the tunnel.

"A gnawer." He said quietly to Ariel, but she had heard it by then too. Gnawers had a distinct way of moving when they were sneaking up on people. Even though they thought that they were quiet, most times they were not.

"You should go, Ariel. I can handle this on my own." Grear said quietly, but Ariel shook her head.

"I will not leave you to this, especially after everything that has happened in the last few days. It is out for blood, I'm sure" The tunnel's ceiling was too low for Ariel to fight on Grear, so she took position next to him, sword drawn. Soon, a large brown gnawer made it's way around the corner. It tried to look lazy, but it was obviously anxious, and ready for battle.

"Well, princess. You sure are far from home." The gnawer said with a nasty smirk, and the bared its teeth. Instead of sniping back at the animal, Ariel leapt at it, hoping to catch it off guard. It worked, maybe too well, because they ended up on the ground, Ariel on top of the gnawer. As Ariel fought to maintain her advantage, and get a good jab in, the gnawer fought to get Ariel off of it. Ariel managed to stab it in the top of its chest, but not quite in the heart. This caused the gnawer to react with even more energy, using its back feet to flail and kick Ariel off. Mostly the rat just shredded Ariel's legs, but she could feel a claw or two cut deep in her abdomen as she tumbled backward, and she immediately felt a large rush of blood. With Ariel off of the rat, Grear was able to help. He flew as high as he possibly could, skimming the ceiling, and flying just above the gnawer. As Grear was clawing at he gnawer's eyes, Ariel took the opportunity to stab the gnawer properly in the heart. The gnawer clawed at its chest as the blood poured out, it sunk to the ground, dying quickly.

As Ariel stumbled up the stairs to the Overland, every breath she took felt like fire throughout her whole body, but she didn't care. She would not go back to Regalia.

"Ariel, please. You need stitching immediately. This wound may be fatal." Grear called to her. She ignored him. "Ariel, as your bond, I will take you back to the city myself." Grear said angrily. Ariel turned, wincing.

"Grear, I cannot. I am sorry, but I will not go back. I love you. Fly you high." Ariel struggled to move the rock, and the slowly, painstakingly lifted herself through the passageway, and into the Overland. She walked, having no idea where she was going for a few moments. There were so many new sights and smells, she could not concentrate on any of them, and she felt sure that she would pass out from the shock of everything. Then, she saw a very small nibbler, and focusing all of her attention on it, she followed it. Then, she saw another, and another. She couldn't be sure where they were gong, but she had nothing else to do, so she followed the line of nibblers. Ariel stumbled though streets wider than any she had ever seen, with the strangest machines strewn all over them, and past buildings shoved up against each other, lining the streets, giving was to no livestock or farms. Eventually, she was stumbling by smaller buildings, where there was less people walking about, and it felt quieter and safer. The streets were more narrow and unoccupied, and she saw the first trees she ever had in her life. Soon, the gnawers were walking up steps to a door, so that is what Ariel did. At this point, she was feeling very weak, and her vision was starting to blur around the edges. Her front was covered in blood, and her left hand was pushing hard on her injury, hoping to keep at least some blood in. She knocked on the door as hard as she could, but that took a whole lot more energy than she anticipated. After a few moments, someone opened the door. It was a young man, with the exact same face as a certain statue she had recently seen,

"Warrior?" Ariel asked, as she crumpled onto the steps slowly, unable to hold on any longer. The last thing she heard before she heard nothing else was, "Daaaaaaaaaaad?"

 **So, as you can tell, I've been gone for a while. Sorry guys! Anyway, I am not planning on having this story be super long, it will be only a few more chapters. If any of you have read my other story Gregor the Overland Returns, let me know what you would like to see in the sequel! I am really excited to write it, and I really want to get started on it, but I'm a bit short on ideas. So, thanks for reading, please review, and share with me!**


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, so I've been gone for a really long time again, i'm sorry! Ive been hearing a lot that i should make my chapters longer and flesh them out, so instead of uploading new chapters, that is what i'm going to do! So, I will be updating each chapter, beginning with the first, and then when I have done them all, I will wrap up the story, and start on the sequel to Gregor Returns. Thank you so much for reading and giving me suggestions! XOXO


	7. Chapter 7

When Ariel woke up, she didn't open her eyes immediately. She became conscious, but she had no idea where she was, or what had happened. She did know, however, that she had a splitting headache, and that she felt as if someone had a run her through with a sword. With that thought, she started to remember. She someone HAD run her through with a sword. She remembered that much, and stumbling past people. So many people. More than she had ever seen before, and there had been lights, brighter than she had ever witnessed, even though the sun hadn't been out. She had escaped to the surface. And wound up on someone's doorstep. And that someone had looked exactly like the statue in Regalia. Ariel's thoughts were racing, and though she was exhausted and in so much pain, she needed answers. Finally, she dragged her eyes open. There was not a single familiar thing when she opened her eyes. Wherever she was, the ceiling was extremely low, and made out of some strange material. In face, everything was. There wasn't a single stone thing in sight, nor was anything woven, it seemed. There was wood, a LOT of wood. Wooden table, which was extremely low, and right in the middle of the room. There were many tiny portraits, like the one she had found of her mother. They were framed in wood, and hung on the wall. There were lots of different people in them, but Ariel's tired eyes couldn't make out any details. Finally, she looked over to a large chair, with cushions that looked stuffed to the brim, and a piece that stuck straight out from it, so that the person sitting in it sat with their legs straight out in front of them.

"Overlanders are so odd" Ariel thought. The person in the chair was the same one she had seen at the door, right before she collapsed. Now that she got a good look at him, she would've swooned if she had been standing. He looked just like the statue had, but he was even better in person. He had jet black hair, and light brown skin, much darker than she had ever seen before. His jaw was still just as strong, but in person it looked less harsh, less, well, stone. His shoulders were broad, and muscled, perfect for being wrapped in a hug. Ariel was blatantly staring at this stranger as he was gazing off into space, but he soon looked at her. She debated quickly whether she should look away, but she figured it was too late. He smiled a little bit, and then he pulled a lever on the side of the chair, and the piece that had been out made a loud sound, and receded back into the chair. Ariel jumped, and the man gave her a strange look. Ariel realized that it seemed odd to think of him as a man. He was most definitely her age. In fact, it was highly unlikely that he was the warrior. The warrior should've aged by now. Besides that, upon studying the person in front of her, and thinking about the portrait she had found, this person had darker skin that the one in the tiny painting had. The man/boy crossed the room and knelt by Ariel, who was trying to get up.

"Hey, don't do that, I'll come to you. You were in pretty bad shape when you came here, you know, and I bet you don't feel great now. Do you remember what happened?" Ariel opened her mouth to say that she did, but what came out was a dry, horse croak. She winced at the sound, and tried again, but it sounded the same. She was horrified that she couldn't speak, and also humiliated considering the gorgeous specimen perched by her bedside. He only smiled reassuringly at her.

"I'll go get you some water, it sounds like your throat is dry, I'll be right back." He went off through a small, open arch into another room. Ariel could hear him rustling around, not too dark away, and he was back in just a few seconds. He handed her a cup made of another material she had never seen before. It was blue, and it was hard, but it did not look hand molded. She quickly took a swig, as not to be caught staring at the cup, and quietly tried to talk.

"I do remember." The boy smiled again, even wider than before are hearing her voice.

"Okay, before you tell me what happened, I'll go get my dad, okay?" Ariel nodded slowly. She hadn't thought about meeting more people. She was nervous about meeting all of these Overlanders. Her parents had always told her that that Overlanders had no idea that anything in the Underland existed, and it needed to stay that way. What was she going to tell these people? Then again, the boy hadn't seemed very perplexed by her at all, and she was sure that she must've looked very strange to him. She heard very faint whispering somewhere, in another room, and then two sets of feet on the floor. That was wood too. And then, the boy, and another man came into the room. As soon as she saw the man, her mouth dropped open. Now this, undoubtedly, had to be the warrior. He looked just like the statue, except several years older, about the same age as her mom. He had the same skin tone as the boy in the portrait with her mom. This was him, the Overland warrior. He came into the room, dragged the giant chair close to Ariel, and sat. He had kind eyes. He smiled a small smile at her, before speaking.

"Man, you look just like your mother." Even though Ariel was sure that this was the warrior, who had been in love with her mother, it still startled her to hear him say that. She was quiet for a moment, and then, all she could respond with was,

"Warrior." She said it softly, almost breathing it, but he heard. In fact, he chuckled a little.

"Well, yes. But I haven't been called that in ages. I'm Gregor. And your name is...?"

"Ariel." She said. It seemed odd that he knew who's daughter he was, but not her name. But then, she figured he must've known because she looked so similar. He had never known her. When she told him her name, he looked sad for a moment. She wasn't sure why, but she definitely wasn't going to ask.

"Well, Ariel, why don't you tell me what happened?" And she did. About the stories Ripred had told, all the things she had found. About the attack, and leaving, and stumbling here. He nodded stoically the whole time, never interrupting, or judging, just listening. When she was finished, he waited for a moment before he spoke. "So, I suppose you are hoping to be filled in about what happened between my mother and I?" Ariel nodded emphatically. "Okay, well, I will, I promise. But it's more than a little complicated. I'll get there. Anyway, Eric here was the one who answered the door and brought you inside." He gestured to his son. "My wife, thank god, is a doctor, so she fixed you up. She's upstairs with my daughter right now. We will send word to your mom that you are okay, and we will keep you with us until you are healed enough to leave. When you go back, I hope that you won't mind if we tag along." Ariel was, of course, upset to still wait for more answers, but she nodded in agreement. She was excited to spend any time with Overlanders that she could, especially the warrior. Also, she definitely wanted to spend time with Eric. "Okay, good. I am going to go get the girls so that I can introduce you, okay?" Ariel nodded again, and Gregor left the room. Eric stayed behind though, and Ariel had to keep herself from gazing at him. He kept looking at her though, which upset her. She must've looked like an absolute wreck, not to mention the fact that he probably thought she was a freak. Ariel was pointedly ignoring his stare when he spoke again.

"I've wanted to meet an Underlander my whole life."

"So, your father told you about us?" Ariel asked, finally looking at him.

"Well, yeah, he kind of had to, because of..." He then cut off, and made a face like he shouldn't have said what he did. Before Ariel could pry, she heard footsteps entering the room again, and she turned to see who had come. Gregor was leading a woman his age in with him, his wife. She was absolutely beautiful, with light brown and green eyes, curly dark brown hair, she was tall and had an amazing shape, and she had the silkiest, glowing skin the color of chocolate. Ariel was taken aback by her, so different and enchanting, but she tore her gaze away, trying not to stare. Then, Ariel caught a glimpse of a third person, presumably Gregor's daughter. She was also beautiful, older than Ariel, but not by much. She was medium height, slender and athletic. She had golden hair, light brown eyes, and her skin was lighter than anyone else's was, besides Ariel's, of course. In fact, it was almost the exact shade of her uncle Hazard's skin. The girl came farther into the room, and that was when something clicked. She had to be a halflander, with skin like that. And what was more, the longer Ariel looked at her, the more she realized that the girl looked exactly like Ariel's mother, just as Gregor had said Ariel did.


	8. Chapter 8

Ariel figured she must have visibly blanched at the girl standing in the doorway, because Gregor quickly stepped to her, arms outstretched, palms open, as if he were trying to reason with an opponent much bigger than himself. He sat once again in the chair, and started speaking quickly. "This is Giselle" He said, motioning to the girl, though Ariel hadn't taken her eyes off of her the entire time. Giselle stood, hands clasped in front of her, looking right back at Ariel. "She is, as i'm sure you guessed, your sister." Ariel had, but it still knocked the wind out of her to hear him say it. She turned to look at the warrior, sadness, and pain etched all over his face.

"How?" One word was all Ariel could make out.

"After the war, and everything your mother and I went through, we were hopelessly in love. And I spent as much time in the Underland as I could. I did my best to support her as she rebuilt the entire kingdom. The people wondered if I would be king for years, as my relationship with Luxa lasted longer than anyone expected, and grew with us. I proposed to her, because I loved her. I wanted to love and support her for the rest of my life. But as I learned about more and more of the duties that would be expected of me, everyone that I would be in charge of, I became terrified of being the king. Your mother was a natural born leader, besides having the best instructors her entire life. I had no experience. I was just a boy from New York, who happened to be a killing machine. People admired that about me, but I didn't want to be a warrior anymore. And then, we found out that your mother was pregnant, before the wedding. We rushed, and got married immediately." Ariel gasped. All of this was absolutely insane, but the fact that her mother had been married before Ariel's father, and she had never known hit her like a ton of bricks. The queen must've been working every second of Ariel's life to keep her from knowing that. Gregor continued without a beat, powering on through the painful history.

"I still loved your mother so much, I loved being her husband, but I didn't like being king. The kingdom and the council wanted me to help lead the army, which I didn't want to do. And when Giselle was born, they immediately started talking about her training. What a fierce warrior she would be, like me and her mother. I felt trapped, and I was so afraid of what would happen to Giselle, what it would be to spend the rest of my life there, a killer, forever. And suddenly, all the love that I had for your mother just wasn't enough to keep me there. I told her what I was doing. She begged me not to, swore to me that Giselle would never see battle, that she agreed with me. But at that point, I had made up my mind, and I couldn't stay. So I came up here with Giselle and she has lived a normal Overlander's life. I honestly expected to be hunted down, but I suppose I hid too well, Your mother sent me word when you were born, through an old way we used to communicate, she could have no idea that I would get the letter. She wanted you to be able to know your sister. But I never replied, never acknowledged the message, because I was still shaken. Terrified, actually. And by the time I came to my senses, and realized how horrible I had been, I had no idea how to fix any of it." Ariel around the room, first at Gregor's wife, beautiful and stoic throughout the whole thing, and then at Eric, who still made her heart flutter just a little bit, though when she looked at him, couldn't speak. What Gregor had done _was_ horrible. Worse than what he had done, though, was what the queen had done. She had let someone take her child away. She kept Ariel from knowing that she had a sister. She had years of history virtually erased. Ariel shook her head again. She couldn't clear the thoughts running through them. Gregor looked at her hopefully, and the rest of his family just blatantly stared. After another moment, Ariel looked to her sister.

"Could I…speak to you? In private?" Giselle nodded, and waited until everyone left the room to daintily sit in the chair that Gregor had just vacated. Ariel became very interested in her hands for a few moments until she could muster up the courage to speak. "Have you always known? About Regalia…about me?" She asked meekly, and Giselle nodded slowly.

"My father taught me everything he knew about Regalia and its history. I think he hoped that by telling me everything he could, I wouldn't be curious and want to go there myself. He has recently realized that I will go back, I need to see it. But I couldn't do it without his approval before… it would've broken his heart, and he would've been so worried." Ariel felt a pang of guilt at that; she HAD been able to run away, even though she knew exactly how much it would terrify and infuriate her mother. Ariel suddenly found herself lost in though, thinking of her mother back in the Underland, worried about her. And then, she thought about the damage that the Gnawer attack could've done on the city, and to her people and she felt sick to her stomach. She had just _left_ , and now she had no idea whether the people she loved were okay. Giselle pulled Ariel back into the Overland, speaking suddenly, "What was it like…growing up a princess?" She asked shyly. Ariel was stunned…she'd never been questioned about her upbringing before. Everyone just assumed that she loved it, that she was completely content in the life that she was so fortunate to have.

"It was…lonely. I had friends, and I have cousins, but I spent much of my time with tutors. I was never aloud to play with the other children, I always had some lesson or another. I think it would have been alright, but I never felt like I belonged. I always wanted to be somewhere else. I could never concentrate. I never felt worthy of being Regalia's princess, I felt as though it should really be for someone who wants to rule, who is smarter and a better leader than I am." Giselle was nodding, with a sad look on her face. Ariel waited to see if she had any more questions, but she said nothing. After an awkward minute or so of silence, Eric nervously stuck his beautiful head into the room, and it was all Ariel could do to keep from audibly sighing

"Um, my mom says she should change your bandages, and that you should eat something. When you two are done, let her know."

"I think we are finished now, actually. Thank you." Eric nodded, and headed out of the room. Giselle stood to walk away, but stopped.

"I'm sorry that you had to find out this way… I hope that you are okay with having a sister. Or maybe a friend, at first. One who looks weirdly like you." Ariel laughed a little bit, and nodded with a small smile. As soon as Giselle left, Gregor's wife came bustling in, quickly addressing Ariel's would. Somehow, with all of the new information to be absorbed, Ariel had forgotten about her pain, but as soon as the beautiful, strange doctor began poking and cleaning and bandaging, Ariel had to focus on her breathing, lest she see starts or cry out. After a few moments, Ariel decided that she simply must speak, or she would pass out.

"I am truly sorry for intruding upon you and your family. I was a bit delirious, truthfully, when I came here, but I apologize that you had to fret over me." Ariel couldn't imagine how strange her appearance must be to everyone, but especially to her. She wouldn't be surprised, or blame her, if she were unhappy about Ariel's presence. However, almost instantly, the doctor replied,

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. Giselle may not be my biological daughter, but I have loved her and raised her all the same. And since you are my daughter's sister, you are family." Ariel wasn't really sure how all of that worked, but the words made her happy anyway. "I"m Tiana, by the way. I don't think I introduced myself." Ariel gave a small nod, gritting her teeth against the final prodding of her torso. When Ariel was all bandaged up, as she painstakingly adjusted her shirt, Tiana holding out her hand to help Ariel up. She led Ariel down a narrow hall made by more material than Ariel had ever seen, and lined in artwork and portraits that made no sense to her. They came to a room that must have been a kitchen, if its smell were any indication, but it was beyond foreign to Ariel. There were large, shiny metal _things_ scattered throughout, There were small wooden doors all around the walls as well, and every flat surface was made of polished granite. Ariel marveled at yet another strange room, but wandered over to a large dark wood table, where everyone else was sat. The family seemed to be avoiding looking at her, while still keeping an eye on her, which was turning into a strange game of eye chicken. After a few moments, while Tiana bustled around the kitchen, Ariel finally worked up the courage to say it, and mean it.

"I need to go home. Tonight."


End file.
